The Art and Science of Decision-Making

January 28, 2013

Robert S. Duboff

Robert.Duboff@hawkpartners.com

617-576-4701

Jason Robins

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Decision-Making: Art or Science – Today’s Agenda

1. Learning agenda and toughest decision

2. Look at a decision

3. Good decisions list

4. Key concepts

5. Course description

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If you decide correctly, were you:

■ Philosopher King/Queen

■ Insightful (foresightful?)

■ Lucky

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Key Concepts

■ Selective perception: Willing blindness

: Recency

■ Cognitive dissonance: Anchoring

■ Before/during/after

■ Personality types

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Before Decision Deliberation Decision

Post-Decision

Advising

Making

Explaining

Implementing

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About the Course

The core idea behind this course is to help students become more thoughtful about, and hopefully better at, making decisions and/or helping others make them.

While the instructors take responsibility for guiding the course and providing the stimuli, success will also depend on the students, since each class will consist of discussion. There will be many questions posed, but the instructors do not think they have all the answers. The hope is that through weekly, thoughtful interactions after advance preparation, we will all reach the goal of the core.

Thus, prospective students should be ready to participate and engage. There will be one in class presentation-type exercise, two short papers (only one of which will be graded) and a final paper. In all the graded instances, students will be able to select their topic.